Before I met the family of goats living on Bowen Island, their human Emily warned me that they probably wouldn’t be very willing to get close to me, as they tended to be rather shy and aloof. Emily was pleasantly surprised when (as is evident in the photo above) the whole troupe felt comfortable with me as soon as I entered their enclosure.

Emily had contacted me because she was concerned about the relationship dynamics among the goats, who had until recently been living with a different human. Not everyone realizes that family relationships among animals can be just as complex and thorny as relationships among humans, but Emily had noticed that the two sibling goats, Betty and Sitka, weren’t getting along. Specifically, Betty was acting like a bully, aggressively chasing her sister and frequently preventing her from feeding. Their mother Freya, the matriarch of the clan, was pregnant and had not received adequate prenatal care before coming to live with Emily, so she was in a weakened state. Through communicating with Betty, I learned that Betty was expressing anger and resentment toward Sitka because she blamed Sitka for the troubles their mother was having. I explained to Betty that Freya’s diminished wellness was the result of their previous human’s inadequate care, and reassured Betty that Freya would now be well looked after. I also balanced all the goats’ energy systems.

After my visit, Emily reported that the relationships between the goats had improved significantly. Betty was chasing Sitka less frequently, and had stopped preventing her sister from feeding. Emily made sure that Freya had the prenatal support she needed (including a custom-made coat to keep her warm), and the work I did with the family members had helped establish healthy boundaries so they could all live together harmoniously. The whole goat family, including Betty’s two offspring and Freya’s new kids, now lives on a farm in Enderby, BC with Emily and her fiancée.

The phone rang. It was Janine. She and Darryl decided today was the day. She was hoping that I was available to help balance Digby's energy systems so that she would easily transition out of her body. I assured her I would come over at once.

I’ve known Digby since she was just a puppy at four months. We had a really special connection and I considered her my canine niece. She always greeted me with her special smile which, according to Janine and Darryl, was only reserved for those who were especially close to her.

During the last few hours that we had together, I was able to use energy therapy to balance her energy system to ensure these channels were open and intact. I created a sacred space by bridging her heart and throat chakras so that she could hear her Mum’s, Janine’s, and Darryl's favourite stories, memories, their love for her, and thanking her for the teachings and gifts she brought to their lives.

When they had finished their tribute, Digby told me that she understood that she was leaving her body but couldn’t understand why her Mum and Darryl were weeping and saying goodbye. She asked me, “Don’t they know I’ll be going home with them, just not in my body - that I’ll still be with them?”

I explained. "Humans can’t see past the physical body; we can’t touch, see or hear things that have left the physical world. Even though her Mum and Darryl know your energy will always be present, they need to grieve the loss of you in your physical form." Digby flashed me her special smile and asked me to tell her humans that she loved them and to thank them for a really great and fun life together.

Soon it was time for me to leave and for Janine and Darryl to release Digby from her body.

A part of me will always be with Digby and I am grateful that I was there to say my last farewell and provide the family with some closure and peace.

Cats usually aren't afraid of the dark. But Tia was. Traumatized she couldn't even come out of her carrier except to eat and use the litter. After her long-time human died, she was adopted by a relative who infamously declawed her and kept Tia in a dark closet.

A year later, Tia was rescued by VOKRA. She was extremely jittery but would venture out of her carrier whenever her foster parents coaxed her. It took a lot of coaxing, mind you. Her fosters reported that Tia refused to leave her carrier at night, even to use the litter.

I was asked by VOKRA to visit Tia at her foster home for energy therapy and animal communication. Tia immediately told me she didn't want to be touch which I was more than happy to oblige as energy therapy can easily be done with a hands-off approach. During our session Tia immediately relaxed, came out of her carrier and fell asleep.

During our animal communication session Tia stated that she is afraid of the dark and would like light left on in the room so she could use the litter as she didn't like using her carrier as her litter too. After suggesting to her foster mums that they buy Tia a night light they reported a week later that Tia used her litter during the nights.

POSTSCRIPT:By using energy therapy to help facilitate Tia’s healing, we were able to release blocked-up traumatic energy from her nervous system and work through the loss and grief to the point where she became quite confident, played a lot and expressed to me that she was very happy. Tia has since been adopted by her foster mums and lives with two dogs in England.